Archive - 2014

New Screenshots Show YAIBA: Ninja Gaiden Z Boss Battle

2014/03/13
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

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March 13, 2014 — Team NINJA today released new images which offer a glimpse into a bizarre battle with a massive boss in YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z. As Yaiba faces off against seemingly countless forms of the mysterious boss, he will have to engage every skill he has learned on his journey. With meteorites crashing around him, before he knows it, he’ll be not only fighting in space, but in a temple reminiscent of an ancient America civilization. What does all of this mean? Players will find out starting March 18, 2014 when YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z launches on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft followed by the Steam® (PC) release on March 21, 2014.

In YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z, players will battle fierce zombies as Yaiba, a cyborg ninja who will do anything to get revenge and stay alive. Cleaved in two, he is brought back to life with cyber-technology. Brandishing his ninja sword and the mecha weapons in his cyber arm, he slaughters zombies with brutal, over-the-top abandon. Step into a stylized living comic book where stunning graphics depict a world gone mad. Hordes of undead can only be stopped by Yaiba’s willingness to use any means necessary to get the job done. Will he kill by turning his cyber arm into a razor chainsaw for slicing up undead—or just rip off an opponent’s arms to use as zombie nunchucks? Both possibilities fill Yaiba’s heart with twisted laughter in this upcoming collaboration between famed developers Team NINJA and comcept’s Keiji Inafune.

YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z for the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® will launch on March 18, 2014 for a suggested retail price of $59.99 in North America. The Steam® (PC) version will follow and launch on March 21, 2014 and is available for pre-order at a special discounted price of $49.99, beginning March 7. This title been rated M (Mature) by the ESRB.

Screenshots

CHIPS Universal Bluetooth Wireless Helmet Audio Review

2014/03/12
Jerry Paxton
News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

chips

My original intention with Outdoor Technology’s CHIPS Bluetooth speakers was to somehow integrate them into a MICH style airsoft helmet to allow me to listen to tunes while playing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a proper audio liner to fit a military helmet. So, I instead decided to review them to their intended purpose: To provide wireless audio for Winter sports helmets. Here is the catch, however, I don’t actually do any Winter sports. After talking with a friend of mine, they lent me their helmet that, thankfully, had ear pads in it with drop in pockets already!

Setting up the Outdoor Technology CHIPS is straightforward as far as Bluetooth devices is concerned. Controlling the CHIPS is done through these large, buttons built into the sides of each CHIPS speaker. In a stroke of genius by Outdoor Technology, you can pretty much operate every feature you would want to through numerous button presses. For instance, if you want to increase the volume, simply double press the left ear button – to decrease volume, single press it! You can even access SIRI by holding down the left ear button and pressing the right one. It does take a bit of time to get the muscle memory of what sequence does what but, once figured out, you will find it very effortless to manipulate.

Instructions for the Chips

The CHIPS sound quality is decent, and had a nice, full sound when listened to inside the helmet. While I didn’t listen to them on the mountain, I did  walk around outside like some sort of head case for about an hour and had no complaints making out the audio from the ambient noise. Speaking of ambient noise, I love that you can adjust the volume of these to where you can still hear what’s going on around you – a very important and safe thing to do. Being wireless via Bluetooth technology, the CHIPS allow you to listen to music without having to run a wire down the back of your helmet, into your jacket, and into your phone or other music player. This convenience factor alone makes CHIPS worth the cost of purchase as I simply hate having to worry about getting caught or snagged on something thanks to a dangling cord.

Overall, Outdoor Technology’s CHIPS Bluetooth audio speakers are an excellent purchase for $129.99 at their official website. If you need to listen to your music while on the slopes, you will not be disappointed with purchasing these wireless, drop-in speakers.

Product Link

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Razer Updates Blade and Blade Pro Gaming Laptops

2014/03/12
Jerry Paxton
Hardware News, News

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CARLSBAD, Calif. – Razer™, the world leader in entertainment devices and software, today announced the latest Razer Blade now comes with the highest resolution 14-inch display available in a laptop. The stunning 3200×1800 touchscreen display features a record 5.76 megapixels, sharply exhibiting even the finest details and text with 262 pixels per inch.

The Razer Blade’s state-of-the-art IGZO/IPS (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide/In-Plane Switching) display panel technology provides unmatched color and image quality. The result is a 250 percent increase in contrast ratio over its predecessor, with high brightness LED backlighting optimized for outdoor use, wide viewing angles, and dramatically improved video propagation and response. The Razer Blade’s display minimizes color shift while maximizing uniformity to make gaming more beautiful than ever before possible.

Blending retina-tearing clarity with ultimate functionality, the Razer Blade is also equipped with a 10-point capacitive multi-touch screen that works seamlessly with the new touch interface in Windows 8.

“The Razer Blade sets the benchmark by which all laptops should be measured,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “The Razer Blade, the world’s thinnest and most powerful gaming laptop, now comes with the best 14-inch notebook display on the planet.”

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Measuring just 0.7-inches thin, the Razer Blade also packs more power-per-cubic-inch than any other laptop in the world. The Razer Blade boasts frame rates  that are up to 70 percent better than the previous iteration with the latest NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 870M GPU. The Razer Blade is powered by a 4th gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor and uses solid-state storage technology for boot speeds up to four-times faster than a traditional notebook hard drive. Constructed in a rugged all-aluminum chassis, the Razer Blade features a custom-designed track pad and backlit gaming- grade keyboard that has full anti-ghosting capabilities and programmable keys powered by the revolutionary Synapse 2.0 software.

“The Razer Blade laptop screams premium design and top-notch performance, and we are as happy as can be outfitting such a beautiful and powerful machine with our latest graphics processor,” says Brian Choi, NVIDIA Sr. product manager. “With nearly twice the graphics horsepower compared to last year’s model, the Razer Blade will be one of the most visually stunning, yet portable, gaming laptops the world has ever seen.”

The ultra-portable laptop features 8 GB of fast 1600 MHz DDR3L memory and comes standard with 128 GB of total solid-state storage with options for a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. The Razer Blade also comes with Dolby® Home Theatre® v4, featuring immersive audio-quality output that is custom-tuned to deliver a cinematic sound experience.
The Razer Blade delivers up to six hours of battery life and includes the latest high-performance 802.11ac wireless connectivity.

The 14-inch Razer Blade embodies Razer’s continuing drive to design the world’s best gaming laptops for those that need insanely powerful performance, the thinnest form factor and the highest resolution screen to game anywhere, anytime. Razer sets out to do the impossible without compromising performance and, with the Razer Blade 14-inch laptop, users are able to do more than ever before on an ultra-portable system.

The Razer Blade is now available for pre-order. For more information, go to www.razerzone.com/blade.

Price:              Starts at $2,199

Availability:   Razerzone.com – Pre-Order Now, Shipping Early April

Product features:

  • 14.0 in. QHD+ 16:9 ratio, 3200×1800
  • IGZO/IPS (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide/In-Plane Switching) display panel
  • LED-backlit 10-point capacitive multi-touch screen
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 870M (3 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600 Integrated Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® ShadowPlay™, GameStream™ and Battery Boost™ Enabled
  • 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4702HQ Quad Core processor
  • 8 GB Onboard Memory (DDR3L – 1600 MHz)
  • Windows® 8.1 64-Bit
  • 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (SATA M.2)
  • Intel® Wireless-AC 7260HMW (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth® 4.0)
  • (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
  • HDMI 1.4a audio and video output
  • Dolby® Digital Plus Home Theatre Edition
  • Built-in stereo speakers
  • 3.5 mm microphone/headphone combo jack
  • Array microphone
  • 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
  • Built-in full-HD webcam (2.0 MP)
  • Compact 150 W Power Adapter
  • Built-in 70 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
  • Razer Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
  • Razer Synapse 2.0 Enabled
  • Kensington Lock interface
  • 13.6 in. (345 mm) Width x 0.70 in. (17.8 mm) Height x 9.3 in. (235 mm) Depth
  • 4.47 lbs. / 2.03 kg

For more information about the Razer Blade, please visit www.razerzone.com/blade.

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CARLSBAD, Calif. – Razer™, the world leader in entertainment devices and software, today announced it has enhanced its award-winning Razer Blade Pro laptop with next-generation graphics capabilities and a suite of new applications designed for professionals and gamers.

At the heart of the Blade Pro is a full-HD, 17-inch LED main display working in-tandem with the award-winning Razer Switchblade User Interface (SBUI), the latter of which provides users with one-click access to program tools, macros, key binds and other customizable functions, as well as full Internet capabilities independent of the main display. Features of the Razer SBUI include 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys, a cell phone-grade LCD display that doubles as a track pad, and associated proprietary software.

Among other professional-grade apps, the Razer SBUI comes equipped with programs supporting Adobe Photoshop® and Adobe Premiere® Pro, Maya®, and GIMP. Six new Razer SBUI programs will launch with the updated Razer Blade Pro, including a Windows 8 Charms app that simplifies interface access to Windows Desktop functions, and a Twitch app that unlocks the streaming service’s broadcasting and commenting features. Additionally, Razer is unveiling its first electronic dance music (EDM) initiative in the form of an app co-developed with world-renowned EDM producer and performer Afrojack. This proprietary Razer SBUI product will help producers make better studio-quality music and is emblematic of Razer’s ongoing relationships with gamers in the entertainment ranks. Additional Razer Blade Pro collaborations include budding partnerships with DJ-producer heavyweights Borgore and Flux Pavilion.

“Today’s professionals demand the latest in power and performance, and they want it all on a beautiful screen that they’re able to take with them,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “Our engineers packed the Blade Pro with the most advanced components available, and our software engineers designed some incredible proprietary apps to make gaming and creative work more efficient – and more fun – while staying firm to our commitment to true portability.”

The Razer Blade Pro is powered by the next-generation “Maxwell” architecture NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 860M graphics processor for a boost in gaming performance. Video rendering, photo editing, electronic dance music mixing and performance, and other pro-level creative tasks also run faster than ever with the next-gen GPU. The Razer Blade Pro also features GeForce ShadowPlay and GameStream for seamless gaming video capture and streaming utilities, and GeForce Battery Boost, which works in conjunction with NVIDIA Optimus technology to provide up to double the battery life while gaming.

The Razer Blade Pro now features 16 GB of RAM, doubling-up on the previous iteration, a 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, and a groundbreaking solid-state storage solution to make the laptop faster and more powerful.

“Gamers and professionals see the value in a premium, portable 17-inch laptop, which is why we partnered with Razer earlier this decade to bring this project to life,” says Brian Choi, NVIDIA Sr. product manager. ”The Razer Blade Pro created an entirely new category of high-performance laptops capable of meeting the demanding needs of professional multimedia designers and hardcore gamers. This next generation of the Razer Blade Pro will be even more powerful, thanks to the new GeForce GTX 860M inside.”

At 0.88 inches thin and weighing 6.5 pounds, the Razer Blade Pro is among the most portable, high-performance 17-inch laptops ever brought to market. Every detail is sleek, slim and light, all the way down to the compact power supply, making the Razer Blade Pro the best choice for gaming performance and creative work on-the-go.

The Razer Blade Pro comes with Dolby® Digital Plus Home Theatre Edition, featuring immersive audio quality that is custom-tuned to deliver a cinematic sound experience. All of this is topped-off with gaming-grade peripherals built right in, including a fully programmable anti-ghosting keyboard with adjustable backlighting and an ultra-sensitive track pad, along with Razer Synapse 2.0, allowing for ultimately customizable settings and configuration storage in the cloud.

The Razer Blade Pro is now available for pre-order. For more information, go to www.razerzone.com/bladepro.

Price:              Starts at $2,299

Availability:   Razerzone.com – Pre-Order Now, Shipping Late March

Product features:

  • 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4700HQ processor
  • 16 GB DDR3L (2 x 8 GB DDR3L – 1600 MHz)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 860M (2 GB GDDR5)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® ShadowPlay™, GameStream™ and Battery Boost™ Enabled
  • Windows 8.1 64-Bit
  • 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
  • Intel® Wireless-AC 7260HMW (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth® 4.0)
  • RJ45 gigabit Ethernet port
  • 17.3-in., full HD, 16:9 ratio, 1920 x 1080, with LED backlight
  • Stereo 2.0 speakers
  • 3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack
  • HD Webcam (front-facing, 2.0 MP)
  • Array microphones
  • (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
  • Codec supports 7.1 (via HDMI)
  • Dolby® Digital Plus Home Theatre Edition
  • Razer Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
  • Razer Switchblade User Interface
  • Razer Synapse 2.0 Enabled
  • Compact 150 W power adapter
  • Built-in 74 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
  • Kensington Lock
  • 16.8 in. (427 mm) Width x 0.88 in. (22.4 mm) Height x 10.9 in. (277 mm) Depth
  • 6.54 lbs. / 2.97 kg

MSI Unveils Nvidia GTX 800M Armed GT Dominator and GE Apache Gaming Notebooks

2014/03/12
Jerry Paxton
Hardware News, News

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City of Industry, Calif. – March 12, 2014 – MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, announces the immediate availability of the devastatingly powerful GT Dominator and performance driven GE Apache gaming notebooks.

MSI’s new GT Dominator and GE Apache lineups are now equipped with NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 800M Series Graphics, 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor, Killer Gaming Networking, SteelSeries gaming backlit keyboard with customization engine, Sound Blaster Cinema, Dynaudio Technology and XSplit Gamecaster. Available in 17-inch and 16-inch, the GT Dominator and GE Apache offers both professional and amateur gamers unmatched mobile gaming performance.

“The myriad of cutting-edge components makes the GT Dominator and GE Apache the ultimate mobile gaming systems for any type of gamers,” said Andy Tung, CEO for MSI Pan America.  “NVIDIA’s GTX 800M Series graphics gives our notebooks unprecedented graphics processing ability, translating into an ultra-realistic and immersive gaming experience.”

Immersive Multimedia Experience

Armed with NVIDIA® GTX 800M Series Graphics, including the GTX 880M in the GT70 and GT60 Dominator notebooks, MSI’s newest lineup delivers an unparalleled sensory experience for both gamers and multimedia lovers.  NVIDIA® GTX 800M Series Graphic cards are up to 50% faster than its predecessors and are more energy efficient with their GeForce Battery Boost technology.  To create the ultimate multimedia experience, MSI also equips the notebooks with Sound Blaster Cinema, Dynaudio Speakers and MSI’s Audio Boost technology.  All GT Dominator and GE Apache gaming notebooks are able to output to 4K displays and can connect multiple independent monitors simultaneously using the Matrix Multi-Monitor Display.

Easy Streaming and Lag-Free Gaming

MSI’s makes live streaming and video uploading easy by incorporating XSplit Gamescaster, a software that automatically detects the best streaming settings for the notebook and internet service provider, eliminating the need to adjust settings.  XSplit Gamecaster allows gamers to add, resize and position a webcam feed, draw on screen and modify videos.  To guarantee lag-free gaming and steaming, MSI utilizes Killer™ LAN networking, the authority in network gaming offering lightning fast and lag-free connectivity.  Killer™ DoubleShot technology is also available in GT70 and GT60 units.   The GE Apache utilizes Intel’s AC Wi-Fi for broader coverage and faster data transfer.

Unprecedented Customization

MSI provides unprecedented keyboard customization in all GT Dominator and GE Apache gaming notebooks with SteelSeries Engine, the ultimate way to enhance a gaming experience.  SteelSeries Engine gives gamers the power to personalize playing style with over a billion customization options, program individual keys for unlimited configurations, determine individual key color and lighting patterns, save and share configurations with other gamers, and learn gaming patterns with key usage statistics.

High Speed Storage

MSI’s Super RAID 2 technology incorporates three mSATA SSDs, kicking up read speeds from 1000MB/s to as much as 1500MB/s – three times faster than high performance single SSD notebooks, and more than 15 times faster than conventional laptops packing standard SATA hard drives. It also includes a high capacity 1TB 7200 RPM hard drive to give you all the space you need for all your games, movies and music. This configuration is currently available on the GT Dominator series notebooks.

MSI’s GT Dominator and GE Apache are available starting at $1,499.99 and $1,299.99 respectively.  For more information about the latest generation of GT Dominator and GE Apache gaming notebooks, including full specs and high resolution images, please visit www.msimobile.com, usgaming.msi.com.

This War of Mine Announced

2014/03/12
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

this war of mine

In this announcement from 11 bit studios, they reveal their upcoming project, This War of Mine, which puts the player in the role of a civilian, instead of a soldier, who is trying to keep a group of survivors alive in a warzone.

From 11 bit studios

Today’s the day we’ve been waiting for. After months of hard work, we would like to present to you our upcoming game: This War of Mine.

While developing the game, we’ve been driven by a specific tagline: “In war, not everyone is a soldier.” This sums up how we – and you – begin the experience. In This War of Mine, the focus is shifted away from military operations portrayed in most games. Instead, it is a dark survival game where you control a group of civilians trying to stay alive in a besieged city. Your task is simple: survive.

During the day snipers outside stop you from leaving your refuge, offering precious time to craft, trade, upgrade your shelter, feed and cure your survivors. At night you can scavenge nearby areas in search for food, medicines, weapons and other useful items.

This War of Mine was inspired by real-life events and delivers a message: “This can happen in your city, in your country.” Here’s what our lead designer, Michal Drozdowski, had to say: “While designing a new game, we came across an article that described how one man survived in a besieged city. We learned about his hardships and the horror of that experience. We decided to work around this idea and make something real, something that moves people and makes them stop think for a second. It’s about time that games, just like any other art form, start talking about important things.”

In TWoM you have to make life-and-death decisions based purely on your conscience. Try to protect everybody from your shelter or sacrifice some of them in order to prevail; there are no good or bad decisions during war. There’s only survival.

Stay tuned for more. We’ll talk about the major inspiration behind This War of Mine. A very interesting interview. You’ll see.

Teaser Trailer

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Digital Storm Unveils Vanquish II Gaming PC

2014/03/12
Jerry Paxton
Hardware News, News

digital-storm-vanquish-ii

FREMONT, Calif. – March 12, 2014 – Digital Storm is excited to unveil the new VANQUISH II, a gaming PC  built to play the most demanding games with maximum detail, speed, and power without breaking the bank.

“Starting at just $699, VANQUISH II delivers an incredible value with the ability to play the most graphic intensive games at max settings,” said Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm’s Director of Product Development.  “That is still obviously more expensive than purchasing a console, but we believe delivering graphics up to three times the resolution is well worth the extra $100-200 investment.”

From a “Good” configuration with an     NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 1GB graphics card and Intel Core i3 4330 processor to an “Ultimate” build with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB graphics card and Intel Core i5 4570 processor, VANQUISH II is armed to deliver a truly immersive gaming experience.

VANQUISH II’s fully upgradeable, open architecture helps gamers stay ahead of the competition with easy upgrades that keep the system on the cutting edge for years to come.

“PC gamers demand the best and that means utilizing the latest components and technologies to deliver the most immersive gaming experience possible. Conversely, consoles quickly become outdated due to a limited architecture and the inability to upgrade performance,” said Kuruppu.

There’s no waiting or delays like a traditional build-to-order system, all VANQUISH II units ship within 72 hours from the moment an order is placed.  During those 72 hours each VANQUISH II system undergoes rigorous stress testing and benchmarking. Afterwards, each desktop goes a multi-point QA inspection where every aspect of the system is scrutinized, from part fitment to software setup, to make sure each unit is perfect.

VANQUISH II is available exclusively at http://www.digitalstormonline.com/vanquish-ii.asp.

LuMini Smart Bulb Back on Kickstarter

2014/03/12
Jerry Paxton
News, Tech News

lumini

BOSTON – March 12, 2014 – The LuMini is back and ready to party. TABU Products originally launched the LuMini, a small, colorful and affordable Bluetooth bulb, on Kickstarter in February. The LuMini is an LED RGB (Red, Blue and Green) bulb that’s ideal for mood lighting. It’s 50% smaller than traditional LED bulbs and will fit most lamps. The Kickstarter campaign helped TABU Products figure out what backers wanted, and they decided to revamp the project and re-launch the campaign, which starts today.

In the first project, TABU offered four socket sizes. They found that the bulk of the Kickstarter pledges were coming from two types of sockets, the E26 and E27, which are commonly used standard bulbs in the US and Europe. By removing the least popular two, E12 and E14, TABU cut their production cost in half, allowing the company to lower the goal from the $50,000 to $25,000, with pledges starting at $25.

“We used the KS project to determine the best size, quickly learned that having all four sockets wasn’t going to work, so we decided to focus on the two most popular sockets,” said TABU CEO Kevin So. “This lowers our cost by half and changes our goal to $25,000.”

Tabu will offer stretch goals for the E12 and E14 so that if there is demand, they will be able to produce them.

With funds raised from the Kickstarter campaign, Tabu will complete the firmware design and production molding and increase Android device compatibility. The LuMini is compatible with all phones that use Bluetooth® Smart, which encompasses all iPhones and certain Android models, including the Nexus 7 (with Android 4.3) and S4 (with Android 4.2). Recent models of the Lumen TL800 and the LuMini are compatible with Samsung phones with Android 4.3 and above.

Setup for the LuMini is simple; simply download Lumen’s proprietary app, plug in the bulb and light up the room. The app turns both the TL800 and LuMini into a smart bulb with various modes for different occasions, including party mode, wake up mode, music sync mode, romance mode, and relaxation mode. The app has a proximity sensor and can be set to notify users of incoming calls.

Pledges start at $25 for LuMini. Estimated delivery on the project is May 2014.

About Tabu

TABU Products makes high-quality accessories that are designed to bring color and joy to to the lives of the company’s customers. TABU believes an accessory should be more than a “second thought” – it should reflect the individuals’ personality through innovative design, unique colors and creative shapes. Check us out at www.tabuproducts.com, on Facebook and Twitter.